lately léna

So much makeup, so little…inspiration? I personally always have a hard time pinpointing what kind of ‘look’ I’m going for when leaving the house, often resulting in me wearing a cute dress…with my tough, water-proof snow boots. Whoops. I love YouTube makeup tutorials for this very reason! I also wanted to show you guys a few looks that I put together for various Valentine’s day ‘plans’. So, in case you were lacking some v-day makeup inspo, read on!

– Girl’s Night Out –

Going out with your girlfriends is the perfect opportunity to go a little bolder with your makeup. No one looks bad in a dark, dimly lit club, so go for it! One makeup rule I try to follow is that if you’re going to play up something, downplay everything else. For this look, the eyes have it. Paired with nude, glossy lips, a dark, shimmery smoky eye really gets to take center stage, taking you from ‘meh’ to ‘MEOW’ in minutes. 

To get this look, sweep a dark, shimmery eye shadow in the creases of your eyes and blending out. Use a highlighter on your brow bone, inner eye corners, and upper cheekbones to brighten your face and slick a light pink or nude gloss on your lips. Throw on your favorite party dress, grab a cocktail, and you’re done!

– Romantic Date –

Got a hot date? Good for you, you lucky thing! Keep it sexy and simple with a muted eye and vibrant lips. Finding a good red for your skin tone is important here, so make sure to check out this handy guide before committing (to a color, not a man). Also a good tip: pick your favorite feature and flaunt it. We all have bits we like and bits we like less (ahem, stomach), but showcasing your favorite body part helps to make you feel confident and sexy. I love my shoulders and clavicle, so I went with an off-the-shoulder top from H&M and a low bun.

To get the look, trace your lips with a red lip liner and fill with your lipstick. Place a kleenex over your lips and brush translucent powder on top with a large powder brush, which will help the color stay all night (and longer..hehe). Add mascara, a little blush, a mattifying powder, and wait for your date to start drooling.

– Netflix + Chill –

And finally, here’s my category, the staying-in-and-watching-Game-of-Thrones group. No judgement! As fun as dates and GNOs are, snuggling on your couch with your significant other/best friend/dog can sometimes be exactly what you need. Of course, you don’t need makeup for that (or, for any of these scenarios, really), but if, like me, makeup sometimes helps to make you feel pretty and special, then this is the look for you. Fresh, minimal, and like your best, I-get-eight-hours-of-sleep-every-night-and-drink-green-juice version of ‘you’.

For this look, less is (actually) more. Make your skin look like it’s under an Instagram-filter with a good foundation, topped with some blush on the apples of your cheeks and some bronzer on your temple and jaw-line. Sweep a little bit of nude or taupe eyeshadow on your lids and fill in your brows to make them full and beautiful. Remote + a bowl of popcorn + cozy blanket = best night ever!

What do you think? Would you try out any of these looks? 

xxLena
P.S. If you like these types of posts (beauty-related, how-to, etc.) let me know! They’re super fun to make so I’d love to put more together.